According to a new Healthcare Worker Safety Report released by Verkada and The Harris Poll in July, many healthcare workers, especially nurses, consider leaving their jobs due to workplace safety concerns, further amplifying the existing healthcare workforce shortage.
“Healthcare workers are at the heart of thriving communities, dedicating their lives to the care of others. But our research reveals that we’re failing them when it comes to one of their most fundamental needs: safety,” said Alana O’Grady Lauk, Vice president of Communications & Public Affairs at Verkada.
Key findings of the Verkada report include:
- Over half of healthcare professionals (59%) worry about safety in the workplace. Particularly, they are concerned about verbal harassment, aggressive behavior, and threats from both patients and non-patients.
- 79% of healthcare workers experience or witness aggressive behavior and threats from patients, and 61% from non-patients, including family members.
- Women experience or witness more verbal harassment (88%), aggressive behavior (81%), and physical assault (48%) by patients in the workplace than men do.
- Nurses are twice as likely to be physically assaulted by patients than doctors.
- 41% of healthcare professionals say they have minimal security at their workplace.
Healthcare workers deal with enough challenges in the workplace without having to worry about their safety. Not only is the healthcare workforce negatively impacted by violence physically, emotionally, and psychologically, but hospitals are also facing a substantial financial burden from workplace violence ($18.27 billion annually), according to the American Hospital Association. The report concludes with a call to action, recommending that medical centers invest in enhanced security measures to prevent workplace violence, which will ultimately improve the quality of care provided to patients.
To read the full Healthcare Worker Safety Report, CLICK HERE.
To read a Verkada’s press release about the report, CLICK HERE.